In a communication network, a communication switch receives, processes and forwards data traffic to and from other switches and communication devices. A communication switch is a complex system, comprising many modules embodied in separate hardware, software and firmware elements which act in concert to provide the functionality of the switch. The hardware elements comprise CPUs, volatile and non-volatile memory devices, specialized data processing and other devices. Volatile memory devices include RAM. Non-volatile memory devices include EEPROMs, EPROMs, FPGAs, PLDs and PGAs. Software elements typically provide a functional program executed by a CPU. They are frequently stored in stored non-volatile memory, but execute from volatile memory. Firmware elements are programs that are encoded into programmable non-volatile memory devices. In a large-scale switch, such as an ATM switch, there may be dozens of software and firmware elements that are installed on various hardware elements on the switch.
During the operational life of a switch, it will likely undergo one or more upgrades. For a given upgrade, software and firmware elements are almost invariably upgraded. To successfully complete an installation of a given upgrade, the revised software and firmware elements must be installed into their associated volatile and non-volatile memory devices via downloading the elements from a library source to the devices. As the number of software and firmware elements can be large for a switch, the task of upgrading these elements is non-trivial.
The process of installing updates of software and firmware elements for a switch is typically controlled at a terminal connected to the switch via commands manually entered by an operator through a Command Line Interface (CLI) on the terminal. Before upgrading a software element, it is good practice to evaluate the compatibility of the software element with any existing associated hardware element. Prior art systems have CLI comments to report on release levels of hardware elements. If the hardware element is not compatible, the software element may not function. If the hardware element is compatible, the upgraded software element may be downloaded to its appropriate storage location in the switch by again, by entering an appropriate command via the CLI.
This process must be repeated for each upgraded software and firmware element. While CLI commands may be grouped together in a batch command, prior art batch commands lack programmability and execution flow control. Also, prior art batch files cannot be used at different terminals for different hardware configurations of the switch.
Accordingly, there is a need for a system and method for upgrading firmware and software downloads for a switch that provides more flexibility and functionality than the prior art.